Dara Singh may not be among us today, but there are many such things related to him whose impression is on our hearts. He wrestled so that no one could defeat him in 500 matches and acted so that even today, people do not forget Lord Hanuman of Ramayana. This lion of Punjab is still fresh in many people’s minds as a sweet memory. Know some extraordinary things about Dara Singh.
Dara Singh Family
Dara Singh had a younger brother Sardara Singh whom people knew by the name of Randhawa. Dara Singh and Randhawa started wrestling together and gradually brought laurels to their village by winning matches from village riots to cities.
Career
Played five hundred matches and did not lose a single one: Dara won the Commonwealth World Championship in 1959 by defeating former world champion George Gordienko. In 1968, he became the world champion of freestyle wrestling by defeating America’s world champion Lau Thej. He wrestled until age 55 and did not face defeat in 500 matches.
Dara Singh will always be known for his fight with King Kong. In one of the most surprising matches in history, Dara Singh lifted Australia’s 200 kg king cog above his head and threw it in a twirl. Seeing this bet made by Dara Singh of just 130 kg, the audience clenched their teeth.
After this bet of Dara, King Kong started shouting at the referee. According to King, it was against the rules. When the referee stopped Dara from doing so, Dara lifted King Kong and threw him out of the ring, and King fell only a few steps away from the audience. Dara Singh, King Kong and Flash Gordon were the players who ruled the wrestling world in the 50s. A massive crowd of spectators watched the match between Dara and King.
Acting Career
Dara Singh played his last match in 1983 and retired after the victory. This tournament took place in Delhi. Dara Singh, who remained undefeated and defeated many legendary names in wrestling, started his film career in 1952 with the film Sangdil. He went ahead and acted in many movies and also produced some films.
Film director Manmohan Desai once told him I was making a film Mard with Amitabh Bachchan, and I was wondering who could play his father. I felt that if I am taking Amitabh in the role of a man, the man’s father should be Dara Singh.
He has worked with top Bollywood stars in Dara Singh. Dara Singh has worked in many big films like Mera Naam Joker, Ajooba, Dillagi, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Jab We Met. He made many Hindi and Punjabi films in which he played the lead role.
Dara Singh turned to TV in the 1980s and 90s. By playing the role of Lord Hanuman in the historical serial Ramayana of his time, he managed to make a tremendous identity in every household.
Apart from sports and cinema, Dara Singh also tried his hand at politics. He was the first sportsperson in the country which any political party nominated for the Rajya Sabha. The Bharatiya Janata Party made him a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2003-2009.
